Police have arrested a suspect in the Boulder, Colorado, attack of an event held by a group advocating for the release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman is facing five charges, including murder in the first degree. He was booked in the Boulder County Jail on a $10 million bond, records from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office show.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Sunday at about 1:30 in the afternoon, Soliman used a “makeshift flame thrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd” of people participating in the Run for Their Lives walk, a weekly event that was occurring outside the Pearl Street Mall.
Eight victims — four women and four men — have been identified between the ages of 52 and 88 and were taken to the hospital for treatment. None of the victims were killed in the attack; it is so far unclear why Soliman was charged with murder.
“Any attempt to divide us through fear or harm has no place in Boulder, Colorado, or anywhere in our nation,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said in the FBI press release. “We stand in full solidarity with those targeted. And we will continue to ensure that justice is pursued swiftly, support is provided to victims and their communities, and preventative action is taken to protect everyone’s safety.”
The attack is under investigation as a terrorist act. Witnesses of the event reported hearing Soliman yell “Free Palestine” as he carried out the attacks.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, posted on social media that Soliman is in the country illegally. “He entered the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023. He filed for asylum in September 2022,” she posted.
According to Fox News, Soliman,45, was granted work authorization through March of this year and is an Egyptian national.
In response to the attack, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson posted on X her support for the Jewish community:
“The violent attack on peaceful demonstrators in Boulder is a shocking and painful reminder that hate and prejudice persist in our society. Utah stands in solidarity with the victims and the entire Boulder community during this horrific time. There is no place for such hatred in our state or our nation.”
The United Jewish Federation of Utah also responded to the attack in a press release obtained by the Deseret News, noting the “chilling pattern of escalating threats targeting visibly Jewish spaces,” referring to the attack last week when two staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were fatally shot on Wednesday evening after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
“Peaceful Jewish gatherings are being turned into scenes of violence,” said Alex Shapiro, CEO of the United Jewish Federation of Utah. “We are heartbroken for the Boulder community and outraged by this continued wave of hate.”
“We will not be intimidated,” Shapiro added. “We are committed to protecting Jewish life, standing with Jewish communities around the country, and calling on our faith, civic, and government leaders to denounce these threats clearly, quickly, and forcefully.”
